Open mike 24/04/2023

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, April 24th, 2023 - 50 comments
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50 comments on “Open mike 24/04/2023 ”

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  1. pat 1
    24 April 2023 at 8:57 am

    Did the Australian political class suddenly develop a smidgen of conscience, ……

    How, then, to explain Albanese’s promised relaxation of the rules controlling New Zealand immigration? After all, Howard’s decisive victory in 2001 had convinced the Labor Party that taking anything other than a hard line on immigration policy was electoral suicide. Neither Kevin Rudd, nor Julia Gillard, both Labor prime-ministers, were willing to budge on the state of limbo into which the highly-restrictive 2001 SVCs had cast nearly half-a-million Kiwi ex-pats. What brought on Albanese’s Damascene conversion?

    Could it be that Australia is simply hungry for New Zealand’s best and brightest? As in the rest of the West, shortages of highly-skilled labour are becoming critical in Australia. It is entirely possible that the harsh conditions imposed back in 2001 are making it increasingly difficult to recruit and retain the talented Kiwis they need?

    Poaching our best and brightest may not, however, be the worst of it. New Zealand’s refusal to come to terms with the new Indo-Pacific geo-strategic environment is bothering people in Washington, London and Canberra. It’s even beginning to bother some people in Wellington

    https://www.interest.co.nz/public-policy/120898/smoothed-path-kiwis-seeking-aussie-citizenship-quid-pro-quo-new-zealand

    Or perhaps there is an another explanation as yet unexplored?

    [Changed formatting of long piece (3 paragraphs) of text to blockquote for clarity – Incognito]

    • Sanctuary 1.1
      24 April 2023 at 9:16 am

      If you seek a conspiracy theory I direct you to the Daily Blog. If you crave a bit of colonial cringe and settler class doom, I suggest Kiwiblog.

      A more parsimonious view is that simply a new Australian government has decided that there is no discernable political cost (and some potential political advantage) in doing the right thing. And since everyone likes to do the right thing – especially when the starts align to make it a win-win for everyone – the right thing has been done.

      • arkie 1.1.1
        24 April 2023 at 9:37 am

        Much like our own Labour government, the Australian Labor government has made a choice regarding 'doing the right thing' and has ignored its own experts in this regard (WEAG report anyone?):

        The Albanese government will not substantially lift jobseeker payments despite its own poverty experts calling for an increase to the “seriously inadequate” unemployment support.

        On Tuesday the treasurer, Jim Chalmers, and social services minister, Amanda Rishworth, released the report of the interim economic inclusion committee, which found that the dire level of jobseeker is acting as a barrier to entering the workforce as jobseekers don’t have enough to meet the “essentials of life”.

        The pair promised some measures to address disadvantage in the May budget, including energy rebates, but Guardian Australia understands the government will not implement the central recommendation to substantially increase jobseeker.

        https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/apr/18/government-will-not-lift-seriously-inadequate-jobseeker-rate-despite-calls-from-its-own-experts

        One of the benefits of this new path to citizenship for NZers in Australia is they too will have access to the 'seriously inadequate' jobeseeker payment now.

      • pat 1.1.2
        24 April 2023 at 9:47 am

        You suggestions have been noted….and may I suggest you invest in a thesaurus.

      • Shanreagh 1.1.3
        24 April 2023 at 12:44 pm

        A more parsimonious view is that simply a new Australian government has decided that there is no discernable political cost (and some potential political advantage) in doing the right thing. And since everyone likes to do the right thing – especially when the starts align to make it a win-win for everyone – the right thing has been done.

        So then reinforcing Pat's query about whether 'the Australian political class suddenly develop a smidgen of conscience',

        I cannot see any sort of 'conspiracy' in what Pat said and note that you have actually repeated her views on the conscience aspect with words such as 'right thing' and 'win-win' .

        Conscience 'a person's moral sense of right and wrong, viewed as acting as a guide to one's behaviour.'

      • SPC 1.1.4
        24 April 2023 at 9:48 pm

        The Liberal Party knows there is a generation of Kiwis that they have oppressed – an exploited class of workers not getting welfare (and they expel them when they commit crime) who could not vote. How very USA (exploiting illegals unable to vote and other workers having limited access to the vote because they hold elections on a Tuesday) of them.

        Knees and elbows is onto an electoral race winner. As they say in the USA, the Indian Red Sky has come – it’s time for utu at the polling booth.

    • Mike the Lefty 1.2
      24 April 2023 at 8:00 pm

      There is no doubt that Australia's change-of-heart isn't totally altruistic but a change of policy has been on the cards since Albanese won the general election. Of course National assumes that NZ will be the worse off but their relentless negativity would demand that position.

      • pat 1.2.1
        24 April 2023 at 8:07 pm

        Except it is far more than National that expect NZ to be worse off….but that should not be the basis of the decision in any case even though it is the likely outcome given the comparative strengths of the two economies…which only adds credibility to the speculation that the change of heart had little to do with natural justice.

        As some are wont to ask…cui bono?

        • SPC 1.2.1.1
          24 April 2023 at 9:56 pm

          Of course it did. Those oppressed by the former policy will be exacting natural justice when they vote for Labour and against the Liberal Party and its white Australia citizenship policy

          And it speaks to his intent to honour the UN Rights of the Indigenous People, something Kiwis in Oz are likely to support.

    • SPC 1.3
      24 April 2023 at 9:39 pm

      That article was risibly poor.

      Oz had no trouble attracting people to higher paid jobs as it was. And our best and brightest already had a path to citizenship in Oz if they wanted it – but they were not the ones who needed support between jobs.

      And as yet there is no evidence of any connection to foreign and defence policy conditions.

      PS Dan Tehan, one of the worst of their Liberal Party (supported Abbott) and thus their Immigration Spokesperson, says it means people who have been paying taxes for years will finally be able to get welfare support and he is not happy. The sort of person, who supports lower wage workers not getting welfare and not being able to vote, is an absolute bastard – but is amongst like in that misogynist racist caucus.

      He is ex Foreign Affairs and Trade bureaucracy (they are well rid of him), and he sees no sign of any "grand deal to bring Enzed to some Aukus order".

      https://www.1news.co.nz/2023/04/24/aus-mp-says-kiwis-may-use-citizenship-rights-just-to-get-the-dole/

  2. Ad 2
    24 April 2023 at 8:58 am

    Outside of a minimum wage hike, there are very few policy changes that can positively affect 350,000 New Zealanders overnight.

    Full credit to the Hipkins government, and the Albanese government, plus all the advocates at the Oz-Kiwi Association, and everyone from within MFAT, DIA, and our Canberra Consular staff who got this citizenship pathway policy over the line…

    … in time for ANZAC Day tomorrow morning.

    https://www.1news.co.nz/2023/04/23/analysis-citizenship-rights-for-kiwis-in-aus-will-benefit-kiwis-at-home/

  3. Molly 3
    24 April 2023 at 10:27 am

    Jan Rivers has a good article published in the NZ Herald today, updating the conversation around the Ministry of Health and the changes on their website regarding puberty blockers:

    "Having last year removed advice that puberty blockers are a safe and reversible medicine, the Ministry of Health has said it will publish an evidence brief on the medicine in May."

    https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/jan-rivers-questions-mount-around-the-use-of-puberty-blockers-for-children/JVKMNIUYUVBXDPCFPYSNZ34RWE/

    It has been paywalled, but there is an archive copy here:

    https://archive.ph/i9Uo0

    "The NZ Media Council recognises there is a legitimate debate but there has been little media coverage of the issue here.

    Other sources show why the “safe and reversible” claims have had to go.

    The Pharmac data sheet for the PB Goserelin says it must not be used in children. FDA advisory notifications advise of serious health risks."

    Link to Pharmac sheet for those interested:

    https://pharmac.govt.nz/assets/Uploads/2020-Goserelin-Brochure-for-Prostate-Cancer.pdf

    Advice re children is under – WHEN YOU MUST NOT USE IT for both dosages.

    • Belladonna 3.1
      24 April 2023 at 10:35 am

      Snap, Molly. Posted at the same time.

      However, your comment is much better, so have deleted mine!

    • Anker 3.2
      24 April 2023 at 12:36 pm

      A fantastic piece of work from Jan Rivers, who painstanly went through the data.

      This really puts the onus on Health NZ to do an urgent and thorough review into their treatment protocal for gender dysphoric youths.

      I know a number of the professional psychological associations push gender affirming care and silence any dissent of their members on this

      It is also a major break through for people concerned about the medicalisation of children. We need to remember that these were the drugs Alan Turing was put on as alternative to going to jail for homosexuality.

      • Shanreagh 3.2.1
        24 April 2023 at 2:27 pm

        I read an ironic comment yesterday, not able to find now, saying that the whole question of consent for children to transition seems a little askew in that they can consent to gender affirming chemicals and surgical mutilation before they are legally able to consent to sexual activity.

        There is something really 'screwy' when it is looked at in this way.

      • Shanreagh 3.2.2
        24 April 2023 at 2:31 pm

        Yes excellent article/research by Jan Rivers.

  5. Ad 5
    24 April 2023 at 10:36 am

    Big shoutout to the legal and advocacy and comms teams at Forest & Bird for defeating the proposed coal mine at Te Kuha near Westport. What an amazing little legal team they have.

    This was going to be a 150-hectare mine site bang in the middle of habitat for great spotted kiwi, South Island fernbird, geckos, and 17 plant species including native eyebright.

    This case is a significant win for Forest & Bird as it marks its centennial.

    Anyone wonders what your F&B subs go to, in part it's to win this kind of fight.

    https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO2304/S00120/pivotal-court-win-against-coal.htm

    At some point Westport's local council will realise that you can make a whole lot more out of tourism local and foreign than you can exporting coal.

    • Bearded Git 5.1
      24 April 2023 at 11:02 am

      Great pic.

      Why on earth does anybody think opening a coal mine is a good idea with the Climate Change issues now extant? It's as daft as opening a new international airport at Tarras.

      • Mike the Lefty 5.1.1
        25 April 2023 at 7:57 am

        The political right always think it is a good idea and their strongest argument is that why should we import coal when we have resources just ready for the taking? Of course that rather overlooks that it takes at least hundreds of millions of dollars to develop it in a world where coal may well be redundant in a decade or two and then the fabulous new mine will be closed – leaving ugly scars and destroyed ecosystems.

        But hey! as long as you are making money now – who cares about the future? No doubt National and ACT will whinge about this decision, castigate the government for "abandoning the people of the West Coast" and show their lip service to reducing carbon emissions.

    • weka 5.2
      24 April 2023 at 3:05 pm

      Incredible.

  6. Incognito 6
    24 April 2023 at 11:45 am

    When you connect a whole lot of dots you sometimes get one big amorphous blob and sometimes you get a picture – it does depend on perspective.

    Some people prefer the blob to the picture – it is subjective.

    Debate aims to discuss the finer and coarse points and find agreement on what’s being observed rather than on the level of like/dislike.

    David Farrier does connect dots for a living and you can read up on one of his latest results here:

    https://www.webworm.co/p/screaminghysterically

    The comment section [230 comments at present] is a little disappointing, as it has too much of an echo chamber vibe. Still, it is nice to see that some people can still engage online without blowing a fuse and going all-dark upstairs.

    Edit: Farrier’s piece can also be found in the TS Feeds [2 days ago]

    • Shanreagh 6.1
      24 April 2023 at 2:07 pm

      Slick nonsense framing.

      I do not hold any sort of candle for VFF or their new radio station. Go for it. They have views. But several long bows have been drawn conflating VFF, their radio station, womens issues, the visit of KJM, left/ right framing. In fact for a balanced read on the issues I would class this as on a par with the regrettable

      Russell Hoban article

      https://www.stuff.co.nz/opinion/131801818/whats-up-with-the-obsession-over-other-peoples-gender-identity

      In fact with its new but underdeveloped theological, or perhaps spritual is a better word, slant, we were with Hoban, at least getting a new take in the NZ MSM..

      These Webworm articles/comments follow the old paths of missing the point, not examining the political sides adequately, not treating the issues in a balanced way. I think if commentators started off with the aim of treating the issues fairly, which requires some research, and then putting their own points of view the articles would be more thoughtful and thought-provoking.

      Anti vaxxers may not be anti trans they may be pro women's issues. Anti vaxxers actually may not be 'hive mind' on this issue or any other issues since their views on the vaccines, mandates, govt over reach, aligned.

      And trying to connect an orange dot to a blue square is not usually a worthy framing unless it is used as part of strategic planning or to drive imagination in art work – mind mapping.

      As a sometime $$$ supporter of David Farrier and moved by his work on Mr Organ, I have to say his/columnists grip on the Women's issue side of this has been disappointing.

      One of the most balanced male comentators I have found in the UK is this person

      Dennis Noel Kavanagh – this links to his twitter page

      https://twitter.com/Jebadoo2?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor

      https://twitter.com/Jebadoo2/status/1650227651867451393

      This links to a series of tweets about the Oxford University LGBTQ+ Society and the usual witch/'whipping boy' condemnation of Kathleen Stock before she speaks on campus.

      Returning to the articles I note they have not read enough to know that the concern has started out from the right in the US and the left in the UK. To me this says more than anything that trying to put a left/ right framing on it is a little naive. Many women see it as an apolitical issue going to the heart of their experiences of mysogyny and sexism/patriarchy and will look at voting for the political party that best responds to their concern on this, as well as other concerns like climate change.

      Comments with words like 'cis' make my eyes glaze over with 'capture, capture, capture, ding ding ding'

      And with the greatest respect to the Women's Refuge in NZ

      In New Zealand, Women’s Refuge chief executive Ang Jury says trans people have been using its facilities for years without issue.

      This is a concern as the presence of any men in a women's space should be enough to make most people pause. But there is another point that would probably affect more women, bearing in mind that some women are not live in but do participate in specialised counselling sessions for women who have experienced sexual violence.

      A concerning point in Canada and UK, has been that women suffering from some of the worst trauma a woman can experience, have been required to attend counselling sessions taken by transwomen ie men. Some are not given the choice to have male or female counselling, so opt for no counselling.

      https://www.brightonandhovenews.org/2022/05/05/brighton-rape-crisis-centre-sued-over-refusal-to-offer-female-only-groups/

      https://www.crowdjustice.com/case/help-sarahs-legal-challenge/

      Pl note I have followed to the letter the instructions i was given re linking to tweets. This is a multi tweet from Kavanagh and I am wondering if it works in this situation.

      • Visubversa 6.1.1
        24 April 2023 at 2:21 pm

        Refuges and rape crisis centres have been presented with the choice between admitting the men who are determined to shoehorn themselves into any and every women's' space and service, or losing their public funding. See the Sussex service above and the Vancouver women's centre as examples.

        And Russel Hoban should recognise a cult when he sees one. The mantra of "Trans Women are Women" is nothing more than an expression of gnostic faith.

      • Francesca 6.1.2
        24 April 2023 at 5:11 pm

        I wouldn't mind betting that the transpeople who have been using womens refuges in the past, pass pretty well.It's self ID that makes the difference.Meaning any man can call himself a woman and have access to womens spaces .Check out how well burly, unreconstructed ,penis having men who may or may not believe they are women are received.And if

        All this nonsense about anti vaxxers also being anti trans is a disingenuous attempt at shutting down legitimate debate.

        Research has shown that sexual and gender minorities, and especially people of color, are more vulnerable to becoming infected with the coronavirus and also more likely to have underlying conditions that could make them severely ill if they were to contract Covid-19. But many of the very people who are most at risk within these communities are also hesitant to take the vaccine, according to a recent study and interviews with health care workers as well as people of color who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer.

        https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/05/well/lgbtq-covid-19-vaccine.html

        Instead of feverishly searching the internet to find articles reinforcing our own beliefs, we could be establishing what we actually do agree on

        Here's a start

        As human beings , transpeople deserve the exact same human rights as everyone else

        Believing that you are really of the opposite sex is a genuinely held belief for many people

        Unfortunately, no matter how ardent the belief, how skilled the surgeon, how plentiful the cross hormones, it is not possible to change sex, only to mimic

        there is such a thing as gender dysphoria

        What can we add ?

      • RedLogix 6.1.3
        24 April 2023 at 5:43 pm

        Slick nonsense framing.

        I get the sense that if this author didn't have 'anti-vaxxers' as a conveniently proximate whipping boy, it would have been white supremacists, nazis or maybe medieval witch burners.

    • weka 6.2
      24 April 2023 at 3:01 pm

      Hayden Donnell seems a bit obsessed about genitals himself tbh. I scrolled through all the rhetoric to find something concrete and came to this,

      None of their arguments hold water. Multiple studies have shown low levels of regret associated with transition.

      that link goes to a tweet, with a screenshot that is meant to support the assertion that levels of regret associated with transition are rare. When I go to the referenced article, I see that the screenshot shows half the relevant information. The other half says this,

      The authors said the regret rate for patients in the last decade reviewed, from 2001 to 2010, may have increased over time. “The last period is still undecided since the median time lag until applying for a reversal was 8 years,” according to the study.

      Far fewer adolescents received gender-affirming medical care prior to 2010. Also, the assessment phase for patients in the study was much longer than what Reuters found most youth gender clinics in the U.S. offer today. The gender-care specialists in Sweden did approximately one year of evaluation before recommending any treatment, according to the study.

      here's the article being cherry picked. https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/usa-transyouth-outcomes/

      I already knew that the time period as a limitation (the dates were in the screenshot), because I've been following the debate for a long time. The major rise in transition and thus detransition is since 2010. Either Donnell knows this and is intentionally misrepresenting, or he doesn't know (at a guess his bias stops him from reading he relevant analyses) and is speaking from relative ignorance.

      Further, that section of the reuters piece starts with this,

      No large-scale, long-term studies have tracked the incidence of detransition and regret among patients who received gender-affirming treatment as minors. Studies that are available yield a wide range of results for various definitions of detransition, regret or continuation of care. Due to their limitations, the studies lack definitive answers.

      This is the article that the tweet uses that Donnell is relying on to support his assertions that "None of their arguments hold water. Multiple studies have shown low levels of regret associated with transition"

      Weird.

      I haven't read the whole reuters piece, so someone else can pull apart my argument, but I'm so sick of the inherent and unacknowledged bias from pieces like the webworm one. They start from an ideological position, make assertions based on that, and then find bits and pieces to support their narrative.

      That's tedious, but what really fucks me off is that it majorly works against detrans people, who have been misled into lifelong iatrogenic illness and disability and who have no specialist care because so many people are in denial that there is a need. If the genderists were being honest and open, there would be as much a push for detrans health care as there is for transition and trans health care. But of course they can't do that because it breaks the mirror of their ideology.

      I asked on twitter a while back why there is so much silence around detrans stories. Someone tweeted this article to me. It's a piece of misleading public health information that purports to be there to help detrans people but takes an ideological position against detransitioning.

      https://genderminorities.com/2021/03/28/detransition-support/

      • Anker 6.2.1
        24 April 2023 at 3:08 pm

        These allys don't really care about tran people. They throw de transitioners under the bus using denial, minimisation and ostricisattion.

  7. Anker 7
    24 April 2023 at 2:46 pm

    "Trans women are women" is nothing more than gas lighting

    • Ed 8.1
      24 April 2023 at 4:56 pm

      The events of the past 2 months have made me decide not to vote for the Greens. This story is just further confirmation of how this party has declined.

      It looks like a TOP party vote for me.

      Thanks to Shanreagh and others for informing me on this issue.

      • Leighton 8.1.1
        24 April 2023 at 7:56 pm

        Me too Ed. It will be interesting to see how the Greens perform amongst people aged 30+ this year compared with past elections. A lot of long term Green voters seem to be walking away at the moment. The question will be whether they can capture enough new voters to replace them.

        • pat 8.1.1.1
          24 April 2023 at 8:01 pm

          "The question will be whether they can capture enough new voters to replace them."

          Indeed….it may be a possibility but I suspect a rebranding would be required to reap such a benefit…one that abandons the environment entirely.

    • Belladonna 8.2
      24 April 2023 at 4:56 pm

      Leaks to media continuing to come from both 'sides' of the GP over Kerekere.

      https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/488574/more-green-members-criticise-kerekere-say-bullying-targeted-maori-pasifika

    • Francesca 8.3
      24 April 2023 at 5:16 pm

      Elizabeth Kerekere will scupper the Green Party.She really doesn’t have what it takes to bring a range of people onside.
      She may well be on 4 at the moment, from Friday on, expect her position to slip down the list

    • pat 8.4
      24 April 2023 at 7:28 pm

      Aside from her SM gaff, what action/profile could Kerekere claim to warrant a high list ranking?….it appears a case of someone who greatly over estimates their own ability.

      • weka 8.4.1
        24 April 2023 at 9:33 pm

        her high list ranking is a mystery to me. I wonder if it's to do with the number Māori MPs that have to be in the top five or something.

        • Anker 8.4.1.1
          24 April 2023 at 9:38 pm

          Weka can you please check you messages

        • weka 8.4.1.2
          24 April 2023 at 9:39 pm

          assuming the people going to the media are genuine, then it looks like an attempt to get publicity about her behaviour so that members will drop her down the list.

    • That_guy 8.5
      24 April 2023 at 9:19 pm

      A cult ate my party
      Distressing to see
      The cult leader's name?
      Dr Kerekere.

      A cult ate my party
      It started so well
      We said to the gay folks
      "You're NOT going to hell!"

      "To hell with this nonsense!"
      "This vile travesty!"
      "We're going to get rid"
      "of all prayer therapy!"

      "What's wrong with the gay kids?"
      "Nothing at all."
      But then, 'cross the ocean
      Came a fateful, bad call.

      A shiny new theory
      of identity
      imported wholesale
      from the land of the Free.

      A theory of women
      and LGBT
      it's not about bodies
      Or reality

      Woman, you see
      Is not flesh and bone
      It's just an idea!
      A skill you can hone!

      A costume! A play!
      A set of high heels!
      Not real female bodies..
      Just male thoughts and feels!

      Of course, with this theory
      Victims abounded
      Women were shut up
      Dissidents hounded

      But the saddest thing, surely
      for the kids LGB:
      We stopped telling them
      that they're perfect and free.

      Instead we say "fix them!"
      "Do surgery!"
      "Pass me the hormones!"
      "Stop puberty!"

      Disagree? You're a fascist.
      Questions? You troll!
      Critical thinking
      Is not how we roll.

      So while we all talk
      of the male right to be
      In any place where
      they just ought not to be

      our planet is burning
      our oceans are acid
      our kids losing hope
      because we're so placid.

      A cult ate my party
      Don't want to be mean
      But cults are not nice
      It's not Rainbow, not Green

  9. weka 9
    24 April 2023 at 9:41 pm

    it's not irreverent, it's gross. Very few people can make jokes about child sexual abuse work. Given the number of transitioning teen girls who've been sexually abused, it's way off.

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  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Friday, July 26

    TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 26, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Transport: Simeon Brown announced $802.9 million in funding for 18 new trains on the Wairarapa and Manawatū rail lines, which ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Radical law changes needed to build road

    The northern expressway extension from Warkworth to Whangarei is likely to require radical changes to legislation if it is going to be built within the foreseeable future. The Government’s powers to purchase land, the planning process and current restrictions on road tolling are all going to need to be changed ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    1 day ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #30 2024

    Open access notables Could an extremely cold central European winter such as 1963 happen again despite climate change?, Sippel et al., Weather and Climate Dynamics: Here, we first show based on multiple attribution methods that a winter of similar circulation conditions to 1963 would still lead to an extreme seasonal ...
    Skeptical Science
    2 days ago
  • First they came for the Māori

    Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedFirst they came for the doctors But I was confused by the numbers and costs So I didn't speak up Then they came for our police and nurses And I didn't think we could afford those costs anyway So I ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    2 days ago
  • Join us for the weekly Hoon on YouTube Live

    Photo by Joshua J. Cotten on UnsplashWe’re back again after our mid-winter break. We’re still with the ‘new’ day of the week (Thursday rather than Friday) when we have our ‘hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm.Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Will the real PM Luxon please stand up?

    Notes: This is a free article. Abuse in Care themes are mentioned. Video is at the bottom.BackgroundYesterday’s report into Abuse in Care revealed that at least 1 in 3 of all who went through state and faith based care were abused - often horrifically. At least, because not all survivors ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    2 days ago
  • Will debt reduction trump abuse in care redress?

    Luxon speaks in Parliament yesterday about the Abuse in Care report. Photo: Hagen Hopkins/Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:PM Christopher Luxon said yesterday in tabling the Abuse in Care report in Parliament he wanted to ‘do the ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Olywhites and Time Bandits

    About a decade ago I worked with a bloke called Steve. He was the grizzled veteran coder, a few years older than me, who knew where the bodies were buried - code wise. Despite his best efforts to be approachable and friendly he could be kind of gruff, through to ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago
  • Why were the 1930s so hot in North America?

    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Jeff Masters and Bob Henson Those who’ve trawled social media during heat waves have likely encountered a tidbit frequently used to brush aside human-caused climate change: Many U.S. states and cities had their single hottest temperature on record during the 1930s, setting incredible heat marks ...
    Skeptical Science
    2 days ago
  • Throwback Thursday – Thinking about Expressways

    Some of the recent announcements from the government have reminded us of posts we’ve written in the past. Here’s one from early 2020. There were plenty of reactions to the government’s infrastructure announcement a few weeks ago which saw them fund a bunch of big roading projects. One of ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    2 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Thursday, July 25

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Thursday, July 25 are:News: Why Electric Kiwi is closing to new customers - and why it matters RNZ’s Susan EdmundsScoop: Government drops ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • The Possum: Demon or Friend?

    Hi,I felt a small wet tongue snaking through one of the holes in my Crocs. It explored my big toe, darting down one side, then the other. “He’s looking for some toe cheese,” said the woman next to me, words that still haunt me to this day.Growing up in New ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    2 days ago
  • Not a story

    Yesterday I happily quoted the Prime Minister without fact-checking him and sure enough, it turns out his numbers were all to hell. It’s not four kg of Royal Commission report, it’s fourteen.My friend and one-time colleague-in-comms Hazel Phillips gently alerted me to my error almost as soon as I’d hit ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Thursday, July 25

    TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Thursday, July 25, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day were:The Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquiry published its final report yesterday.PM Christopher Luxon and The Minister responsible for ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • A tougher line on “proactive release”?

    The Official Information Act has always been a battle between requesters seeking information, and governments seeking to control it. Information is power, so Ministers and government agencies want to manage what is released and when, for their own convenience, and legality and democracy be damned. Their most recent tactic for ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago
  • 'Let's build a motorway costing $100 million per km, before emissions costs'

    TL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:Transport and Energy Minister Simeon Brown is accelerating plans to spend at least $10 billion through Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) to extend State Highway One as a four-lane ‘Expressway’ from Warkworth to Whangarei ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • Lester's Prescription – Positive Bleeding.

    I live my life (woo-ooh-ooh)With no control in my destinyYea-yeah, yea-yeah (woo-ooh-ooh)I can bleed when I want to bleedSo come on, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)You can bleed when you want to bleedYea-yeah, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)Everybody bleed when they want to bleedCome on and bleedGovernments face tough challenges. Selling unpopular decisions to ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago
  • Casey Costello gaslights Labour in the House

    Please note:To skip directly to the- parliamentary footage in the video, scroll to 1:21 To skip to audio please click on the headphone icon on the left hand side of the screenThis video / audio section is under development. ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    3 days ago
  • Why is the Texas grid in such bad shape?

    This is a re-post from the Climate Brink by Andrew Dessler Headline from 2021 The Texas grid, run by ERCOT, has had a rough few years. In 2021, winter storm Uri blacked out much of the state for several days. About a week ago, Hurricane Beryl knocked out ...
    Skeptical Science
    3 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on a textbook case of spending waste by the Luxon government

    Given the crackdown on wasteful government spending, it behooves me to point to a high profile example of spending by the Luxon government that looks like a big, fat waste of time and money. I’m talking about the deployment of NZDF personnel to support the US-led coalition in the Red ...
    WerewolfBy lyndon
    3 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Wednesday, July 24

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:40 am on Wednesday, July 24 are:Deep Dive: Chipping away at the housing crisis, including my comments RNZ/Newsroom’s The DetailNews: Government softens on asset sales, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • LXR Takaanini

    As I reported about the city centre, Auckland’s rail network is also going through a difficult and disruptive period which is rapidly approaching a culmination, this will result in a significant upgrade to the whole network. Hallelujah. Also like the city centre this is an upgrade predicated on the City ...
    Greater AucklandBy Patrick Reynolds
    3 days ago
  • Four kilograms of pain

    Today, a 4 kilogram report will be delivered to Parliament. We know this is what the report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care weighs, because our Prime Minister told us so.Some reporter had blindsided him by asking a question about something done by ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Wednesday, July 24

    TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Wednesday, July 24, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Beehive: Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced plans to use PPPs to fund, build and run a four-lane expressway between Auckland ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • Luxon gets caught out

    NewstalkZB host Mike Hosking, who can usually be relied on to give Prime Minister Christopher Luxon an easy run, did not do so yesterday when he interviewed him about the HealthNZ deficit. Luxon is trying to use a deficit reported last year by HealthNZ as yet another example of the ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    3 days ago
  • A worrying sign

    Back in January a StatsNZ employee gave a speech at Rātana on behalf of tangata whenua in which he insulted and criticised the government. The speech clearly violated the principle of a neutral public service, and StatsNZ started an investigation. Part of that was getting an external consultant to examine ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Are we fine with 47.9% home-ownership by 2048?

    Renting for life: Shared ownership initiatives are unlikely to slow the slide in home ownership by much. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:A Deloitte report for Westpac has projected Aotearoa’s home-ownership rate will ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Let's Win This

    You're broken down and tiredOf living life on a merry go roundAnd you can't find the fighterBut I see it in you so we gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsWe gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsAnd I'll rise upI'll rise like the dayI'll rise upI'll rise unafraidI'll rise upAnd I'll ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago
  • Waimahara: The Singing Spirit of Water

    There’s been a change in Myers Park. Down the steps from St. Kevin’s Arcade, past the grassy slopes, the children’s playground, the benches and that goat statue, there has been a transformation. The underpass for Mayoral Drive has gone from a barren, grey, concrete tunnel, to a place that thrums ...
    Greater AucklandBy Connor Sharp
    4 days ago
  • A major milestone: Global climate pollution may have just peaked

    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections Global society may have finally slammed on the brakes for climate-warming pollution released by human fossil fuel combustion. According to the Carbon Monitor Project, the total global climate pollution released between February and May 2024 declined slightly from the amount released during the same ...
    Skeptical Science
    4 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Tuesday, July 23

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Tuesday, July 23 are:Deep Dive: Penlink: where tolling rhetoric meets reality BusinessDesk-$$$’s Oliver LewisScoop: Te Pūkenga plans for regional polytechs leak out ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Tuesday, July 23

    TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Tuesday, July 23, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Health: Shane Reti announced the Board of Te Whatu Ora- Health New Zealand was being replaced with Commissioner Lester Levy ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • HealthNZ and Luxon at cross purposes over budget blowout

    Health NZ warned the Government at the end of March that it was running over Budget. But the reasons it gave were very different to those offered by the Prime Minister yesterday. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon blamed the “botched merger” of the 20 District Health Boards (DHBs) to create Health ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    4 days ago
  • 2500-3000 more healthcare staff expected to be fired, as Shane Reti blames Labour for a budget defic...

    Long ReadKey Summary: Although National increased the health budget by $1.4 billion in May, they used an old funding model to project health system costs, and never bothered to update their pre-election numbers. They were told during the Health Select Committees earlier in the year their budget amount was deficient, ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    4 days ago
  • Might Kamala Harris be about to get a 'stardust' moment like Jacinda Ardern?

    As a momentous, historic weekend in US politics unfolded, analysts and commentators grasped for precedents and comparisons to help explain the significance and power of the choice Joe Biden had made. The 46th president had swept the Democratic party’s primaries but just over 100 days from the election had chosen ...
    PunditBy Tim Watkin
    5 days ago
  • Solutions Interview: Steven Hail on MMT & ecological economics

    TL;DR: I’m casting around for new ideas and ways of thinking about Aotearoa’s political economy to find a few solutions to our cascading and self-reinforcing housing, poverty and climate crises.Associate Professor runs an online masters degree in the economics of sustainability at Torrens University in Australia and is organising ...
    The KakaBy Steven Hail
    5 days ago
  • Reported back

    The Finance and Expenditure Committee has reported back on National's Local Government (Water Services Preliminary Arrangements) Bill. The bill sets up water for privatisation, and was introduced under urgency, then rammed through select committee with no time even for local councils to make a proper submission. Naturally, national's select committee ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Vandrad the Viking, Christopher Coombes, and Literary Archaeology

    Some years ago, I bought a book at Dunedin’s Regent Booksale for $1.50. As one does. Vandrad the Viking (1898), by J. Storer Clouston, is an obscure book these days – I cannot find a proper online review – but soon it was sitting on my shelf, gathering dust alongside ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell On The Biden Withdrawal

    History is not on the side of the centre-left, when Democratic presidents fall behind in the polls and choose not to run for re-election. On both previous occasions in the past 75 years (Harry Truman in 1952, Lyndon Johnson in 1968) the Democrats proceeded to then lose the White House ...
    WerewolfBy lyndon
    5 days ago
  • Joe Biden's withdrawal puts the spotlight back on Kamala and the USA's complicated relatio...

    This is a free articleCoverageThis morning, US President Joe Biden announced his withdrawal from the Presidential race. And that is genuinely newsworthy. Thanks for your service, President Biden, and all the best to you and yours.However, the media in New Zealand, particularly the 1News nightly bulletin, has been breathlessly covering ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    5 days ago
  • Why we have to challenge our national fiscal assumptions

    A homeless person’s camp beside a blocked-off slipped damage walkway in Freeman’s Bay: we are chasing our tail on our worsening and inter-related housing, poverty and climate crises. Photo: Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Existential Crisis and Damaged Brains

    What has happened to it all?Crazy, some'd sayWhere is the life that I recognise?(Gone away)But I won't cry for yesterdayThere's an ordinary worldSomehow I have to findAnd as I try to make my wayTo the ordinary worldYesterday morning began as many others - what to write about today? I began ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • A speed limit is not a target, and yet…

    This is a guest post from longtime supporter Mr Plod, whose previous contributions include a proposal that Hamilton become New Zealand’s capital city, and that we should switch which side of the road we drive on. A recent Newsroom article, “Back to school for the Govt’s new speed limit policy“, ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    5 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Monday, July 22

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Monday, July 22 are:Today’s Must Read: Father and son live in a tent, and have done for four years, in a million ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Monday, July 22

    TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Monday, July 22, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:US President Joe Biden announced via X this morning he would not stand for a second term.Multinational professional services firm ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #29

    A listing of 32 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, July 14, 2024 thru Sat, July 20, 2024. Story of the week As reflected by preponderance of coverage, our Story of the Week is Project 2025. Until now traveling ...
    Skeptical Science
    6 days ago
  • I'd like to share what I did this weekend

    This weekend, a friend pointed out someone who said they’d like to read my posts, but didn’t want to pay. And my first reaction was sympathy.I’ve already told folks that if they can’t comfortably subscribe, and would like to read, I’d be happy to offer free subscriptions. I don’t want ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    6 days ago
  • For the children – Why mere sentiment can be a misleading force in our lives, and lead to unex...

    National: The Party of ‘Law and Order’ IntroductionThis weekend, the Government formally kicked off one of their flagship policy programs: a military style boot camp that New Zealand has experimented with over the past 50 years. Cartoon credit: Guy BodyIt’s very popular with the National Party’s Law and Order image, ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    6 days ago
  • A friend in uncertain times

    Day one of the solo leg of my long journey home begins with my favourite sound: footfalls in an empty street. 5.00 am and it’s already light and already too warm, almost.If I can make the train that leaves Budapest later this hour I could be in Belgrade by nightfall; ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago
  • The Chaotic World of Male Diet Influencers

    Hi,We’ll get to the horrific world of male diet influencers (AKA Beefy Boys) shortly, but first you will be glad to know that since I sent out the Webworm explaining why the assassination attempt on Donald Trump was not a false flag operation, I’ve heard from a load of people ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    6 days ago
  • It's Starting To Look A Lot Like… Y2K

    Do you remember Y2K, the threat that hung over humanity in the closing days of the twentieth century? Horror scenarios of planes falling from the sky, electronic payments failing and ATMs refusing to dispense cash. As for your VCR following instructions and recording your favourite show - forget about it.All ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • Bernard’s Saturday Soliloquy for the week to July 20

    Climate Change Minister Simon Watts being questioned by The Kākā’s Bernard Hickey.TL;DR: My top six things to note around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the week to July 20 were:1. A strategy that fails Zero Carbon Act & Paris targetsThe National-ACT-NZ First Coalition Government finally unveiled ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Pharmac Director, Climate Change Commissioner, Health NZ Directors – The latest to quit this m...

    Summary:As New Zealand loses at least 12 leaders in the public service space of health, climate, and pharmaceuticals, this month alone, directly in response to the Government’s policies and budget choices, what lies ahead may be darker than it appears. Tui examines some of those departures and draws a long ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    1 week ago
  • Flooding Housing Policy

    The Minister of Housing’s ambition is to reduce markedly the ratio of house prices to household incomes. If his strategy works it would transform the housing market, dramatically changing the prospects of housing as an investment.Leaving aside the Minister’s metaphor of ‘flooding the market’ I do not see how the ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    1 week ago
  • A Voyage Among the Vandals: Accepted (Again!)

    As previously noted, my historical fantasy piece, set in the fifth-century Mediterranean, was accepted for a Pirate Horror anthology, only for the anthology to later fall through. But in a good bit of news, it turned out that the story could indeed be re-marketed as sword and sorcery. As of ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    1 week ago
  • The Kākā's Chorus for Friday, July 19

    An employee of tobacco company Philip Morris International demonstrates a heated tobacco device. Photo: Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy on Friday, July 19 are:At a time when the Coalition Government is cutting spending on health, infrastructure, education, housing ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Friday, July 19

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 8:30 am on Friday, July 19 are:Scoop: NZ First Minister Casey Costello orders 50% cut to excise tax on heated tobacco products. The minister has ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Weekly Roundup 19-July-2024

    Kia ora, it’s time for another Friday roundup, in which we pull together some of the links and stories that caught our eye this week. Feel free to add more in the comments! Our header image this week shows a foggy day in Auckland town, captured by Patrick Reynolds. ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    1 week ago
  • Weekly Climate Wrap: A market-led plan for failure

    TL;DR : Here’s the top six items climate news for Aotearoa this week, as selected by Bernard Hickey and The Kākā’s climate correspondent Cathrine Dyer. A discussion recorded yesterday is in the video above and the audio of that sent onto the podcast feed.The Government released its draft Emissions Reduction ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Tobacco First

    Save some money, get rich and old, bring it back to Tobacco Road.Bring that dynamite and a crane, blow it up, start all over again.Roll up. Roll up. Or tailor made, if you prefer...Whether you’re selling ciggies, digging for gold, catching dolphins in your nets, or encouraging folks to flutter ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • Trump’s Adopted Son.

    Waiting In The Wings: For truly, if Trump is America’s un-assassinated Caesar, then J.D. Vance is America’s Octavian, the Republic’s youthful undertaker – and its first Emperor.DONALD TRUMP’S SELECTION of James D. Vance as his running-mate bodes ill for the American republic. A fervent supporter of Viktor Orban, the “illiberal” prime ...
    Bowalley Road
    1 week ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Friday, July 19

    TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 19, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:The PSA announced the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) had ruled in the PSA’s favour in its case against the Ministry ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • The Hoon around the week to July 19

    TL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers last night features co-hosts and talking with:The Kākā’s climate correspondent talking about the National-ACT-NZ First Government’s release of its first Emissions Reduction Plan;University of Otago Foreign Relations Professor and special guest Dr Karin von ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #29 2024

    Open access notables Improving global temperature datasets to better account for non-uniform warming, Calvert, Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society: To better account for spatial non-uniform trends in warming, a new GITD [global instrumental temperature dataset] was created that used maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) to combine the land surface ...
    Skeptical Science
    1 week ago

  • Joint statement from the Prime Ministers of Canada, Australia and New Zealand

    Australia, Canada and New Zealand today issued the following statement on the need for an urgent ceasefire in Gaza and the risk of expanded conflict between Hizballah and Israel. The situation in Gaza is catastrophic. The human suffering is unacceptable. It cannot continue.  We remain unequivocal in our condemnation of ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    16 hours ago
  • AG reminds institutions of legal obligations

    Attorney-General Judith Collins today reminded all State and faith-based institutions of their legal obligation to preserve records relevant to the safety and wellbeing of those in its care. “The Abuse in Care Inquiry’s report has found cases where records of the most vulnerable people in State and faith‑based institutions were ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    19 hours ago
  • More young people learning about digital safety

    Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Government’s online safety website for children and young people has reached one million page views.  “It is great to see so many young people and their families accessing the site Keep It Real Online to learn how to stay safe online, and manage ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    20 hours ago
  • Speech to the Conference for General Practice 2024

    Tēnā tātou katoa,  Ngā mihi te rangi, ngā mihi te whenua, ngā mihi ki a koutou, kia ora mai koutou. Thank you for the opportunity to be here and the invitation to speak at this 50th anniversary conference. I acknowledge all those who have gone before us and paved the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    22 hours ago
  • Employers and payroll providers ready for tax changes

    New Zealand’s payroll providers have successfully prepared to ensure 3.5 million individuals will, from Wednesday next week, be able to keep more of what they earn each pay, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis and Revenue Minister Simon Watts.  “The Government's tax policy changes are legally effective from Wednesday. Delivering this tax ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    23 hours ago
  • Experimental vineyard futureproofs wine industry

    An experimental vineyard which will help futureproof the wine sector has been opened in Blenheim by Associate Regional Development Minister Mark Patterson. The covered vineyard, based at the New Zealand Wine Centre – Te Pokapū Wāina o Aotearoa, enables controlled environmental conditions. “The research that will be produced at the Experimental ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Funding confirmed for regions affected by North Island Weather Events

    The Coalition Government has confirmed the indicative regional breakdown of North Island Weather Event (NIWE) funding for state highway recovery projects funded through Budget 2024, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Regions in the North Island suffered extensive and devastating damage from Cyclone Gabrielle and the 2023 Auckland Anniversary Floods, and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Indonesian Foreign Minister to visit

    Indonesia’s Foreign Minister, Retno Marsudi, will visit New Zealand next week, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced.   “Indonesia is important to New Zealand’s security and economic interests and is our closest South East Asian neighbour,” says Mr Peters, who is currently in Laos to engage with South East Asian partners. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Strengthening partnership with Ngāti Maniapoto

    He aha te kai a te rangatira? He kōrero, he kōrero, he kōrero. The government has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the aspirations of Ngāti Maniapoto, Minister for Māori Development Tama Potaka says. “My thanks to Te Nehenehenui Trust – Ngāti Maniapoto for bringing their important kōrero to a ministerial ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Transport Minister thanks outgoing CAA Chair

    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has thanked outgoing Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority, Janice Fredric, for her service to the board.“I have received Ms Fredric’s resignation from the role of Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority,” Mr Brown says.“On behalf of the Government, I want to thank Ms Fredric for ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Test for Customary Marine Title being restored

    The Government is proposing legislation to overturn a Court of Appeal decision and amend the Marine and Coastal Area Act in order to restore Parliament’s test for Customary Marine Title, Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith says.  “Section 58 required an applicant group to prove they have exclusively used and occupied ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Opposition united in bad faith over ECE sector review

    Regulation Minister David Seymour says that opposition parties have united in bad faith, opposing what they claim are ‘dangerous changes’ to the Early Childhood Education sector, despite no changes even being proposed yet.  “Issues with affordability and availability of early childhood education, and the complexity of its regulation, has led ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Kiwis having their say on first regulatory review

    After receiving more than 740 submissions in the first 20 days, Regulation Minister David Seymour is asking the Ministry for Regulation to extend engagement on the early childhood education regulation review by an extra two weeks.  “The level of interest has been very high, and from the conversations I’ve been ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Government upgrading Lower North Island commuter rail

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